MANILA, Philippines – Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Chair Loretta Rosales today reported a decrease in human rights violations under the Aquino administration.
Speaking after a workshop with military officers, Rosales said there are human rights violation cases under the Aquino administration but the number is at a lower level.
Since the Aquino administration came into office, only 18 cases of torture were noted, 8 cases of disappearances, and 64 cases of extra-judicial killings.
From 2001-2010, there were 381 cases for torture noted by the CHR. A total of 49% of the 381 are being attributed to the Philippine National Police, 20% to the military.
All in all, 75% of all cases are being attributed to various law enforcement agencies.
The military, on the other hand, is being blamed for 31% of the enforced disappearances, while only 13% are being blamed on the police.
Rosales also noted there was an increase in human rights violations after the ‘Hello Garci’ scandal in 2005.
Rosales revealed this in a workshop with intelligence community officials of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) today.
“Lumabas, tumaas ang human rights violations–whether torture, extra-judicial killings–in the past administration after the Hello Garci case. After the Hello Garci case, dumating si [UN Special Rapporteur Philip] Alston, saka bumaba,” she said. “Klaro ang ginagawa ng military at kapulisan may kinalaman sa stability…”
Rosales, however, failed to give an exact number.
Rosales also witnessed the signing of a military manifesto for members of the intelligence community to adhere to human rights laws and cooperate with the CHR.
Rosales noted this is the first time the miitary’s intelligence community committed themselves to something like this.
“The fact that naisulat ito (manifesto) is a step forward. This is the first time this happened. I hope that I’m looking forward to the bigger effort to put this into concrete action,” she said.
AFP’s J2 Francisco Cruz concurred. “Yun po ang challenge, to put this into action. May human rights office ang ISAFP to link and cooperate with provincial offices ng Commission on Human Rights.”
Intelligence Service of the AFP (ISAFP) chief Romulo Bambao said, “This is an expression of our commitment to its advocacy of the whole AFP.
“The manifesto was the product of the workshop earlier in the day. In that workshop, Rosales said she presented a study on the trend of human rights abuses from the Arroyo to the Aquino administration.
Cruz noted that Rosales’ figures came from the past administration.
Bambao, for his part, stressed, “We recognize may cases of torture. We did not debate that. What’s important is we recognize na merong cases ng disapperances, torture and the like.”
Cruz said that so far, only 1 incident of human rights violation can be attributed to the military under the current administration.
The military is set to publish a guidebook on compliance.
A human rights officer has also been designated in each military unit.
Rosales noted an improvement in the respect for human rights violations, noting recent incidents of arrests involving suspected insurgents showed that the rights of the arrested were respected.
Bambao also maintained they do not wiretap individuals.
Rosales stressed the importance of engaging the military and police to prevent future abuses. –RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News
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